


Episode 2: Walking Sam

by YlvaUllsdotter



Category: Supernatural, Wayward Sisters - Fandom
Genre: Alex Jones - Freeform, Canon language, Case Fic, Episode: s13e10 Wayward Sisters, Gen, SPN - Freeform, Supernatural - Freeform, Walking Sam, Wayward Sisters, canon violence, claire novak - Freeform, urban legend
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-15
Updated: 2018-06-15
Packaged: 2019-05-23 19:23:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14940357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YlvaUllsdotter/pseuds/YlvaUllsdotter
Summary: Bored with research about the rift issue, Claire finds a case nearby. Alex goes with her.





	Episode 2: Walking Sam

All of them had been hitting the books hard, looking for some explanation for what they had decided to call the rift coma. Claire, being a young woman of action, was bored and had volunteered to make a supply run. Anything to get out of the house and away from the lore books. She sauntered along the aisles of the small convenience store, grabbing things that were on her list as she found them. Taking any excuse to prolong the time she had to herself away from reading obscure texts in weird languages, she stopped at the newspaper rack and skimmed the headlines.

“Hey, this ain’t a library, lady.” The squeaky voice of the pimply-faced kid who manned the register piped up behind her and she grimaced at the rack of newspapers. She grabbed a couple of the papers, one local and one national, and headed to the check-out with a sigh.

The kid eyed her the whole time while he rang up her items, and she was a little proud of herself that she actually ignored him instead of punching him in the face. She grabbed the two paper bags and gave him a smile. “Thanks. Have a nice day!” Her tone was chipper and the look on his face when she walked away made her laugh. You had to enjoy the little things in life, right?

Stowing the bags in the backseat, she grabbed the papers and slouched in the driver’s seat while she skimmed through them. There were a few promising articles in the national paper that she marked for later before she picked up the local paper.

A few pages in she came across an article about another rash of suicides and attempted suicides at the Pine Ridge reservation. What caught her eye was the mention of a local urban legend about a spirit called Walking Sam. Going back to the beginning, she read the entire article, filtering it through her hunter knowledge. Folding the paper with the article on top, she chose to drive by the library instead of heading back home.

An hour and a half later, Claire had gone through every text the library had on Walking Sam and she was fairly certain it was an actual spirit. It had been around for a century at least, as far as she could tell, and it seemed to crop up every fifteen years like clockwork. Leaving the books and articles on the table where she had been sitting, she hurried out to the car and drove home.

Alex met Claire in the kitchen as she came in from the garage, arms full of groceries. Without asking, the girls both started putting things away. When they were almost done, Alex nudged the paper that had ended up on the counter.

“Looking for cases?” She kept her tone carefully neutral.

Claire shrugged and turned her back, putting some cans away. When she turned back around, Alex was folding one of the paper bags, her hips leaned against the counter.

“We’re already on a case, Claire. You’re not just gonna run off chasing some monster with this crap going on?”

Claire snorted softly and pushed the second empty paper bag closer to Alex.

“We’ve been through every lore book we have. Including the ones we borrowed from other hunters. We’ve got nothing so far.” She stabbed her finger at the article about Walking Sam and stared a challenge at Alex. “I’m just supposed to let people die - kids, Alex - when I might be able to do something about it?”

Alex stared back for a moment, before shrugging and nodding. “No, you’re right. At least don’t go alone?”

“I’ve been hunting alone for a few years now, Alex, I can take care of myself.” Claire shot back.

“I know, but with everything that’s going on...we can’t afford to lose anyone right now.” Alex shrugged, trying to play it off as just being concerned about the rift cases.

Claire scoffed and turned away, hiding a small smirk. “I guess you can come then. We’ll leave in the morning.” She missed Alex’s eye roll as she walked out of the kitchen.

* * *

The next morning saw the two girls in Claire’s car, heading to Pine Ridge. They stopped for gas once and got there a little after 11 a.m., finding the place quieter than they had expected. They pulled up in front of the Sheriff’s office and pocketed the fake press IDs they had brought with them.

“Hello? Anyone here?” Claire’s voice almost echoed in the empty office.

A door sounded somewhere in the back and a tall Native American woman wearing a Sheriff’s uniform came into view.

“Can I help you?” She sounded suspicious.

Claire plastered on her sweetest smile. “Hi, Sheriff. We’re so sorry to bother you, but we just have some questions about all the suicides you’ve had lately.”

The look of suspicion was joined by a frown. “And who are you exactly?”

Claire almost simpered at the sheriff as she pulled out her ID, nudging Alex to do the same. “We’re reporters with the Weekly World News and we’re doing an article about urban legends in the area. We saw the mention of Walking Sam and it caught our eye.” Claire’s tone was almost shocking to Alex, who had never seen this side of the young hunter.

The sheriff was less impressed. In fact, she seemed to become almost cold at the mention of the urban legend. “I’ll have no talk of spirits here. If that’s what you’re here for, you’re better off talking with Johnny Black Crow. He’s the medicine man.” The girls could hear the scorn the woman put into those last two words.

With Alex still not having said a single word, Claire was thanking the Sheriff and pulling her out of there. Standing by the car, the blonde hunter scanned the small town, quickly locating what looked like a bar.

“I bet you that’s where we’ll find this medicine man.” She smirked at Alex and started walking. Alex sighed and followed, not at all sure this was even a case.

The bar was almost empty, which was unsurprising since it was still short of noon. When Alex entered, Claire was already leaning against the counter, talking to the bartender. The guy nodded towards a dark corner and Claire, in turn, nodded that way as she looked at Alex, letting her know where to go.

When Alex came up to the table in the corner, Claire was already introducing herself as a reporter. The guy put his hand up and it was like he had found the off switch. Claire went silent while the guy stared at her like he was seeing something other than what was right in front of him.

“Don’t lie, young lady. You’re here for Walking Sam.” Without taking his eyes off Claire, he motioned to the chairs. “Sit. I will tell you what I know.”

Claire kept up the staring contest while she sat down, and Alex, not knowing what else to do, took the only other empty chair. When the guy turned to Alex, Claire smirked like she had won.

“You are a medicine woman.” Alex’s eyes went wide with surprise and the guy smiled. “I’ve seen you at the hospital in Sioux Falls.” His tone had gone from serious to mischievous in the blink of an eye and Alex felt herself relax. He winked at her before turning back to Claire.

“You are a hunter. I see it in your eyes. You have seen evil and you have conquered it. I will tell you what I know of Walking Sam. Perhaps you can help our children.”

He leaned back in his chair and picked up the cup in front of him. From the look of it, Alex thought it might be tea. He took a drink and set the cup back down.

“My grandfather told a story, that his grandfather told him. Long ago, in our tribe, there was a young boy whose father was a bad man. This man beat his wife to death, but in such a way that no one could prove anything. The man beat his son too. Eventually, the man beat his son to death as well. In the morning, the boy was gone. When the elders questioned the man, he claimed the boy had left in the night. Perhaps he had gone hunting. Many days passed. A hunting party returned from the forest, and they carried what was left of the boy’s body. They had recognized him as being from our tribe by the designs on his clothes, what the animals hadn’t destroyed. They brought him back to be sent to the spirit world.”

He paused and took another drink from his cup. It was obvious both of the young women were caught up in the story by the way they had leaned slightly forward in their seats.

“Some days after the boy had been sent to the ancestors, the father was found hanging from a tree at the edge of the village. He had hanged himself. That would have seemed to be the end of the boy’s story. But fifteen years later, three young people took their own lives. The medicine man called the spirits, tried to purify the village. It seemed to work. Then, fifteen years after that, four young people took their own lives. And it continued. Every fifteen years, a few young people take their own lives. Those that are saved tell of a spirit that speaks to them, tells them bad things, makes them think they are not wanted. The spirit targets the weak, and the vulnerable, those that already have dark thoughts. It makes them believe the darkness.”

When he paused again, he drained his cup and set it down. “This spirit is the one we call Walking Sam. We believe it is the spirit of the boy. He was fifteen years old when he died.”

Claire immediately started asking questions, like where the boy was buried and if there could be any object the spirit could be tied to. Johnny Black Crow shook his head, silencing her.

“This happened a century ago, young hunter. Even if anyone knew where the boy’s bones were, there would be no guarantee to find all of them. We do not bury our dead in the ground as your people do.”

Claire sat in silence for a while, clearly thinking over what the medicine man had told them. Alex, having nothing to say, just sat quietly and waited for Claire to make a move.

“Well, we’re just gonna have to lure him out and trap him then.” Claire’s words took Alex by surprise.

“Are you serious? Then what? We talk to him?” Alex’s tone clearly said she had said it as a sarcastic joke.

“Sure if you think that’ll work.” She shrugged as she stood up. “Thanks for the info, Mr. Black Crow. We’ll do our best to take care of this spirit for you.” She smiled at the medicine man and tugged on Alex’s jacket.

Alex shrugged apologetically at the old man and followed her adopted sister.

Evening found the two young women on a gravel road that dead-ended at a reservoir and led through as thick a stand of trees as you would be likely to find on the plains. It fell short of being an actual forest by a bit. Claire leaned against the hood of her car, an iron fireplace poker leaning against the bumper next to her leg. Alex was pacing a few feet in front of the vehicle.

“Claire, this is stupid and reckless.”

“Yeah, you’ve said that.” Claire’s tone was nonchalant.

“Well, I’m saying it again. We have no idea how to get rid of this spirit.”

“We’ll talk to it.” When Alex threw her arms up in exasperation, Claire grinned. “It was your idea.”

“It was a-!” Alex’s words were choked off when she suddenly was unable to breathe. It felt like someone had her in a chokehold, except there was no one there. Her hands came up to claw at empty air that was apparently squeezing the life out of her.

Claire was instantly on high alert, the weapon held firmly in a one-handed grip. She saw the figure flicker before it materialized behind Alex’s struggling form.

“Hey! Let her go!” Claire sounded a lot more confident than she felt at that moment. She was afraid for Alex but knew she could not show the least fear or this spirit would destroy them. At her shout, it turned empty eye sockets towards the blonde hunter and she forced herself to study it.

It looked a bit like she imagined Slenderman would look like. Tall and thin and sort of fuzzy, like not all of it was there. Something seemed to dangle from its arms and at first, Claire thought it was some sort of fringe, like on a jacket.

“Die…,” it hissed at the two of them, seemingly not inclined to let Alex go at all.

Claire scrambled for something to say, something to make it let Alex go. She was shocked when Alex’s choked voice came from the dangling young woman.

“Please. I don’t...want to...die.”

The spirit seemed to freeze for a long moment, although it had to have been less time than it seemed. Then it released its grip on Alex’s neck and the young woman tumbled to the ground in a wheezing heap. Claire launched herself at the spirit, brandishing the iron. She never made it. Alex gasped when the spirit flung Claire away from itself, the blonde thudding against a tree trunk.

Still gulping down that sweet sweet air, Alex turned towards the apparition, getting her first good look at it. She shuddered a little when she realized that what at first appeared as a fringe was, in fact, the glowing figures of souls dangling from the spirit’s arms. Her voice still hoarse, Alex desperately tried to reason with the spirit, while a small voice at the back of her mind screamed at her to run.

“Please. Please don’t hurt us. We’re here to help you. Please, you have to stop hurting people. We know what happened to you, your father, what he did. It was horrible, but you’re hurting all these kids.” She had to stop to breathe and was shocked when the spirit responded.

“Sooo looonely…”

Alex reeled and her mind scrambled as she puzzled out the mystery. Her voice was still hoarse when she spoke again, but she was breathing easier, feeling more confident. From the corner of her eye, she could see Claire stir at the foot of the tree.

“You’ve been lonely? I understand that. I’ve felt lonely too. But keeping these spirits with you, it’s not helping is it?” She almost held her breath as she paused, waiting for some sort of response from the spirit.

It was still and silent for so long, she started to despair. Then finally, almost less than a sigh, “noooo…”

“You need to go, honey.” She almost cringed as she used the endearment, but dared not stop. “You need to go into the light. Join your ancestors. Your mother, she’s waiting for you. You won’t have to be lonely anymore.”

Alex watched as the imposing figure shrank in on itself until it was no larger than a skinny little fifteen-year-old boy. The spirits that had been tethered to his floated into the sky, dissipating as they moved on. The figure in front of her slumped dejectedly.

“How?” The voice was that of a lost and lonely boy, and Alex had to fight back tears before she was able to speak.

“I’m not sure, sweetie. I think you just have to want it. Wish for it really hard. And when you see the light, go into it.” Her voice was soft, and a little choked as she tried not to cry.

The spirit of the boy raised its head, turning it first one way, then the other. The form turned around completely and there was the sound of a gasp.

“I see it! I hear Mother calling me!” The tone was so hopeful, Alex felt a tear spill over and roll down her cheek.

“Go. I’m happy for you.” She managed to choke out the words as she swiped at the tears.

The boy’s spirit moved forward, then stopped and looked over its shoulder. “Please tell them I’m sorry. And thank you.” It smiled a little sadly, then took another step and was gone.

Alex curled her legs up under herself and sat up, letting the tears flow now that the boy was gone. She felt an arm around her shoulder and turned into Claire’s chest. Claire stayed quiet, awkwardly stroking Alex’s back soothingly until she managed to calm down.

Wiping at her face with a sleeve, Alex turned an almost challenging look on Claire, who just shrugged and turned away. The young hunter was limping as she moved to the car and Alex quickened her steps to slip Claire’s arm over her shoulder to support her.

Depositing Claire in the driver’s seat with her legs still outside the car, Alex brought the first aid kit around and crouched in front of the hunter. Silently, she started working on the scrapes that were visible on Claire’s face. By the time she tugged on the hunter’s shirt to get a look at her back, Claire grudgingly complied. With Alex behind her, and unable to see her face, Claire finally spoke up.

“I guess your way worked.” The words were almost grumbled, so quietly Alex barely caught them. She smiled to herself behind her friend’s back, but stayed quiet, letting Claire say her piece. Claire huffed a deep sigh. “Jody always said I was a hothead. I guess...it might not always be the best strategy to rush in guns blazing.”

Alex could tell how hard it was for Claire to make the admission, and she appreciated the effort. Still working on the rapidly spreading bruise on Claire’s back, Alex carefully kept her tone neutral.

“Well, then I guess I can admit that I probably should know more about fighting. I was pretty helpless tonight.” She paused to let her words sink in. When Claire said nothing, Alex went on. “Maybe...you could teach me some stuff?”

Claire pulled away, clearly done being ‘pampered’. Alex held her objections, seeing as there was nothing else she could really do. For a long moment, the two young women looked at each other. Then Claire smiled, and Alex joined in. That was all. Just a shared smile. But it spoke volumes between the two.

They might not be blood, but they were family.

**Author's Note:**

> This work is a part of The Wayward Project, a fanfic season of Wayward Sisters. Check out the rest in the collection, or visit us at [@thewaywardproject](https://thewaywardproject.tumblr.com/) on Tumblr.


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